1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a flow machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
A flow machine constructed as a compressor and having a stator-side housing and a rotor-side shaft mounted in the housing is known from DE 10 2008 013 433 A1. This shaft carries rotor blades of the flow machine. For this reason, the rotor-side shaft is also known as rotor shaft. Further, it is known from DE 10 2008 013 433 A1 that a gap formed between the stator-side housing and the rotor-side shaft is sealed by at least one seal bushing.
An uneven temperature distribution is brought about at the structural component parts of a flow machine as a result of different operating conditions. Uneven temperature distributions lead to uneven deformations of structural component parts. In particular, the relatively thin-walled seal bushings used for sealing are especially sensitive to uneven deformations of structural component parts. Accordingly, the seal bushings tend to partially collapse viewed along the circumference such that the distance from the rotor-side shaft decreases. There is then the risk of contact between the rotor-side shaft and the stator-side seal bushing during operation, as a result of which the respective seal bushing is exposed to considerable wear.
Therefore, there is a need for a flow machine in which the risk of contact between rotor and stator is reduced even in the event of uneven temperature distributions at the structural component parts of the flow machine.